Senator Menendez Warns to Block Bush’s New Pick for Ambassador to Armenia

19:42 Yerevan | 15:42 GMT | Saturday 26 April

Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, who two years ago blocked the nomination of Richard Hoagland for U.S. ambassador to Armenia, said he will do the same if President George W. Bush’s new ambassadorial nominee also fails to use proper wording for the Armenian Genocide

The United States has not been not represented in the Armenian capital at the ambassadorial level since May 2006 when Bush fired John Evans, who used the term ‘genocide,’ to describe the massacre of Armenians at the hands of Ottoman Turkey in 1915-1923.

In March, Bush nominated Marie L. Yovanovitch, another career diplomat, for Yerevan, Turkish Daily News reports.

Senator Menendez made it clear that he believes the U.S. ambassador to Yerevan should characterize the killings as Genocide.

"I intend to ask the same tough questions to the designate as her confirmation process reaches the Senate,” Menendez said. “I hope Ms. Yovanovitch would respond to the questions in a satisfactory way. If not, I will not hesitate to place a hold."

Meanwhile, the Turkish newspaper mentions that still “if Yovanovitch by any chance says ‘genocide,’ then Washington will get into deep trouble with Turkey.

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